208 EXPLORATIONS IN THE FAR NORTH 



"To visit the wounded misipisiwuk that Wisagatchak 

 speared." 



" How do you treat them? " 



"I blow this way," said he, inflating himself vigorously, "then 

 I use my rattle." 



Wisagatchak killed the frog and put on its skin. He then 

 set out for the lodge of the misipisiwuk who admitted him with- 

 out question, as the frog had been treating their wounded com- 

 rade for some time. 



" I am going to employ a new remedy," said he. " Put out 

 the fire and darken the lodge." This order was obeyed and 

 then taking hold of the spear, which had been nearly removed, 

 he thrust it deeper than ever, remarking that it was very warm 

 inside. The false doctor left the lodge. The misipisiwuk be- 

 coming suspicious at his long absence went out and found the 

 frog skin and the rattle lying beside the door, and on lighting 

 a bit of birch bark they discovered that the patient was dead. 

 Whereupon an old wiseacre remarked, " It is always dangerous 

 to have anything to do with Wisagatchak." ("When you sup 

 with the devil," etc.) 



Why Some Trees are Twisted. 



One day, as Wisagatchak was going along, he came across a 

 bear lying in his path. 



" Get up you lazy beast, you sleep too much," he said, giving 

 the bear a kick, but finding that it was dead he thought to 

 himself, "Now I will have a feast." So he built a huge fire and 

 roasted the entire animal. " I cannot eat all that," thought he, 

 "without making room in my stomach." So he placed himself 

 between two trees and told them to squeeze him. The trees 

 complied but warned him that they would not let him go, but 

 they relaxed their hold and he began to eat, soon returning, 

 however, to give the order, "That is not enough, you must 

 squeeze harder." This time the trees were true to their word 

 and held him fast. The whiskey jacks came to feed upon the 

 roasted meat, then came the crows and all kinds of carnivorous 

 birds and mammals, until nothing but the bones remained of 

 the delicious repast. Then the trees released him. In his 

 anger, Wisagatchak caught their tops and twisted them so far 



